The Daily Lives Of Guardians
by MaodeRochefort
Summary: Humanity's last stand against the darkness. The guardians. Warriors of the light sworn to defend the last city and her inhabitants. They've taken on armies, pushed back legions of enemies, and have slayed gods. But what do they do when they're not out defending humanity?
1. Working out

"Little _known fact, but exos can and DO have sex just like any other living being on this planet!" - Saint-4_

In the never ending fight against the darkness, it is paramount that the guardians that protect the last remnants of humanity stay in pique physical and mental performance.

In this endeavor, whenever the guardians are not out in the field on reconnaissance, patrolling the solar system, or testing their fighting will in the crucible, some of them decide to physically work out on their own time. This is no different for fireteam Blumenkranz, as they find themselves working out in the Tower's gym facilities.

Wyna Grey, the headstrong (yet insanely stupid) awoken Titan was fine tuning her already adept physical prowess. Losing count after seven, she continued to do dead hangs as several kilos of weights were tied to her ankles. Her body was not showing any sign of giving up as she simply kept going up and down like a metronome.

Across the small room a human warlock was busy manifesting an orb of arc, solar, and void energy. It was clear that she was out of her element as Kat Cort could not keep either the void or arc orbs, but the solar orb was full and ablaze for all to literally feel the heat. She has been having trouble controlling the other elements since she was born a guardian, but that never discouraged her from training on controlling them.

On the far side of the room, the hum of a treadmill resonated with the fast steps of the exo hunter Yuki-9. The pitter patter of her steps showed the sharpness and speed that she was so proud of as a hunter. A specially designed treadmill was specifically made for the hunters as their sprinting speed was at a much higher average than most guardians, and Yuki was showing exactly why.

All three of them were working their bodies to their absolute limits, making sure th- "WAIT A MINUTE!" Yuki slammed on the treadmill, making a loud screeching sound as the machine stopped.

The sudden outburst made Kat lose her concentration, and in response the solar orb exploded in her face, sending her body splatting on the wall. Wyna jumped off the pull up bar and untied the weights from her ankles.

She went over to Kat and poked her belly. She squished the soft skin and then proceeded to pat it. As she did, she looked over to Yuki and yelled, "GUARDIAN DOWN!" in a mocking town.

A puff of smoke escaped from Kat's mouth as she grumbled, "I swear to the traveler, Wyna, if you keep patting my stomach, I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life."

"But that's not very nice, Kat."

"Of course it's not, Wyna. It's called a deterrent."

"Ooooh! What does that taste like?"

"DAMN IT WYNA!"

Kat sat up and brushed off her gym shorts. "So, Yuki. Any reason why you suddenly made me almost crap my pants?"

"Yeah, and why I don't get to eat any determinants?" Wyna quipped.

Yuki walked over to Kat and gave her a hand to stand back up. "It just dawned on me. Why do I work out with you girls?"

Kat and Wyna had blank expressions on their faces. "I mean, I'M AN EXO! I don't benefit at all from this!"

Kat pondered this for a second and placed a hand under her chin. Wyna did so as well, mimicking the warlock. "You bring up a good point, Yuki, but the fact remains that we've been working out regularly since WE'VE BEEN ASSIGNED BLUMENKRANZ" The outburst made Wyna laugh and Yuki groan.

"I suppose you're right, but the OTHER fact remains that I don't benefit from this. Other than the time I spend with you girls, is there any real reason that I work out?"

"Oh! Maybe because you're like the vex! Even though they're all machiny and shiny, they're still organic, and maybe exos are like that too!" Wyna chimed in.

Kat was about to retort, but she backed up a bit. "You know, that's actually a good point, if it weren't for the fact that all that knowledge was lost in the collapse, Wyna. Who'd you steal that idea from?"

"From my brain!" Wyna said.

Kat rubbed her temples as Yuki nodded in agreement. "Maybe so. I'd ask other exos if they also work out, but I don't know of any other exos that work out like we do, much less hunters. They're always brooding about how 'the titans have their walls, the warlocks have their books, but we have ourselves.' I mean come on! Does any hunter have any personality less edgier than their throwing knives?"

Kat chimed in. "I mean, there IS Hunter-chan, but she's always off doing her own thing with her fireteam, especially now that so many guardians and citizens are commissioning her for her plushies."

Wyna put her fist on her palm and looked at Yuki. "There is a way we can find out if you benefit from this, Yuki!"

Kat raised an eye. "Oh? And pray tell, what is this brilliant idea that you have, Wyna."

Wyna patted Yuki's belly in a similar fashion as Kat's. Instead of a squishy stomach, she patted a hard, yet malleable midriff of golden age metal. "Hmmm…. NOPE can't think of anything else!"

Both Yuki and Kat punched Wyna in the stomach as hard as they could. The Titan grasped her stomach and fell backward as she cried out "GUARDIAN DOWN" in the same mocking tone as before.

Yuki sighed. "Well whatever. Even if I don't get anything out of this, I'm still pretty hungry. Want to grab something to eat?"

Kat nodded. "Yeah. I'm down to chow down. Get up, Wyna. We're going to go eat."

Wyna quickly stood up and looked at Kat with shining eyes. "AND NO WE'RE NOT EATING DETERRENTS."

The three of them left the gym and proceeded to head out and grab lunch. Wyna hung her head low in disappointment at the thought of not being able to eat deterrents.

 **Author's note: Hello! This is my first attempt at a small series that I'll be writing. Please give me your input. I'd greatly appreciate it!**


	2. Seduction

_**The wrath of the Darkness and the might of the Traveler are nothing compared to the sorrow of a broken heart.**_

"After careful consideration of my personal finance and utter disregard for my tummy aches, I will take that thirteenth bowl of ramen." Wyna, Yuki, and Kat were at the ramen bar in the tower enjoying their meals while citizens and guardians alike passed them by.

The daily lives of Guardians outside of combat mirrored that of citizens. They had their hobbies. They had their salary. They had their likes and dislikes, and they especially ha- "Hey, out of the blue, you two, but how do you reject someone who asks you out?"

Yuki and Wyna looked over to Kat who had barely touched her comically oversized bowl of ramen. "What do you mean, Kat?" Yuki asked.

"You know, like when someone asks you out…. On… a date….?"

Yuki raised an… eye(?) and began to think. "Well why am I asking you, Yuki. I'm sure Wyna's been asked out so many times." Kat said, slurping some noodles.

"I beg your pardon. And what do you mean by that, Kat?" Yuki said in a bitter tone.

"Well… I'm just saying. You know… Because you're…." Kat gestured Yuki up and down.

"What? An exo?" She spat back.

"Oh, no. I was going to say because you're a hunter."

Yuki quickly got up and kicked Kat in her throat, discharging a concussive wave of arc energy that quite literally dissipated Kat's body in a surge of arc energy. "GAWRDIAN DAH-AH!" Choking on her food, Wyna attempted to poke fun at Kat's faux pa, only to suffer her own consequences. "WAZZER!"

Kat's ghost appeared on top of her seat and began to glow brightly. After five seconds, Kat rematerialized onto her seat with an annoyed expression on her face. "Danke, Mickey."

"Michael!" The black shelled ghost said. "Vhy do you alvays call me zat?"

"Because it's cuter that way, Mickey. Better than little light, am I right?"

Michael, turning towards Yuki, replied in an annoyed tone. "Kick her again."

"Oi! No more!" Kat said, shielding her throat.

Michael simply chuckled to himself and disappeared, leaving the three to their meal. "Why'd you even do that for! You know killing guardians on the tower is strictly prohibited!" Kat said as she ate more of her ramen.

"Correction, Kat. It's strictly DISCOURAGED to kill guardians on the tower. Nothing illegal about it." Yuki said with a smug grin.

"Still freakin' hurt, y'know?" Kat replied. "Besides, why even take offense? It's not like you've been asked out before."

Yuki scoffed. "I'll have you know that I have had my fair share of… interests before."

Kat spat out her food. "No way! Why the hell didn't you tell us? Wyna, did you know about this?" Kat asked in a startle.

Wyna, still consuming her food, simply shook her head. "I didn't tell either of you because that's personal information I'd much rather keep to myself, thank you."

Kat took out a small notebook and a pencil and began writing something down in it. "...has been asked out before…. Alright, so cut to the chase. Did you go out with them or not?"

Wyna and Kat leaned in closer into Yuki's personal space with eager eyes, making Yuki feel a bit uncomfortable. "It was one date and…."

"And….?" Kat said.

"Well…. I believed that having a relationship would hinder my duties as a guardian, so I decided to cut it short…" Yuki said in an embarrassed tone.

"Yeah, that's great and all, BUT HOW DID YOU REJECT THEM?" Kat asked.

"Why are you asking? Do you have someone that you need to reject?" Yuki snapped back.

"Classified information, Yuki. How about you Wyna? Anybody you've rejected?"

Wyna was chugging the broth from her bowl. After a ridiculous amount of time, she slammed the bowl down next to the other twelve and and smiled. "NOPE! Can't say I've really ever rejected anybody before! Mostly because if I did, they wouldn't take me on dinner dates!"

Kat and Yuki both facepalmed. "Should've known you only said yes for food. Can't blame you though. Gotta respect that hustle at least." Kat replied.

Wyna nodded in agreement. "Though, I haven't really rejected anyone, I do have some tips on it at least."

Kat clapped her hands together. "Finally, we're getting somewhere! Can't believe I'm saying this, but teach me, Wyna! What do you got?"

Yuki laughed. "Well this should be good. Here, Wyna. Switch seats with me so you can get a better handle on things."

Wyna and Yuki switched seats. Wyna, now facing towards Kat simply smiled. "Alright, so let's first gauge your personality!"

"Well, you know me pretty well, Wyna. Why do you need to know my personality?"

"To imitate a personality to seduce you, silly!"

Yuki stifled a laugh while Kat simply let it out. "YOU'RE going to seduce ME? Yuki was right. This oughta be good."

Wyna cracked her knuckles and her neck. Slapping her cheeks, she readied herself. "Alright, Kat. I want you to reject me as best you can! If you don't, you owe me five beer belly bruiser burgers!"

"Pfft. Piece of cake!" Kat said.

"AND A CAKE!" Wyna said excitedly.

"Whatever."

"Blumen promise!"

Kat groaned. "Fine! Even if I'm corrupted by hive, I'll keep my promise or I'd rather die!"

Wyna cleared her throat, covered her face with her hands, and then looked at Kat. Her cheerful face and shiny eyes were replaced with a much more confident facial expression and sharp eyes. Her entire demeanor of how she sat and postured herself screamed the aura of a playboy. With a soft and sensual tone, she simply said, "Hey… Kitty Kat…"

Kat chuckled and replied, "Hey there, Wyna."

Wyna stood up and stared at Kat, never breaking eye contact. "What's a pretty looking thing like yourself doing all alone at this ramen stand?"

Kat looked at Yuki and the cooks and saw them enjoying the scene. "Well, I was just eating all by myself since my fireteam is off doing traveler knows what, or WHO. Seems like I'm all by my lonesome here, y'know?"

Wyna chuckled in a sort of seductive way. "Well, I can fix that, if…." Wyna ran her fingers through Kat's raven hair. "... you're so inclined…"

" _Okay, what the hell was that?_ " Kat thought. "W-well what do you have in mind…?" Kat said with caution.

"Well…" Wyna placed her hand on Kat's shoulder and began to circle around her. "Eating ramen by yourself must be a bit…" She leaned into her ear and whispered, "...boring… So why not something a bit more…" Wyna turned Kat's face towards her. Without realizing it, Kat was dangerously close to Wyna's face. "...exciting?"

Kat broke out into a cold sweat as her heart began to pound inside her chest. "E-exciting? Wyna you're scaring m-"

Wyna put a finger up to Kat's lips, keeping her silent. "Shhh shhh shh…. It's okay, my little kitty cat."

Wyna squished Kat's cheeks together making her let out a tiny queek. "Just let me do the talking…"

And Wyna closed her eyes and leaned in, lips puckered and ready to steal a kiss from Kat. " _WHATTHEHELLWHATTHEHELLWHATTHEFREAKINFREAKINHELL?_ "

Stuck in Wyna's alluring grasp, Kat simply could not refuse. Even if this was just an act, Kat had been properly trapped by Wyna. She couldn't get out. She had to find someway, ANY way to get away from her.

Wyna's lips made contact, but not with Kat's lips. Instead, the sweet and intoxicating taste of ramen noodles met her mouth. "Thanks, b-but I really have to get going, Wyna. I-I've got uh… MAINTENANCE! I've gotta go see Banshee about repairing some of my hand cannons, so uh… SEE YA!"

Before Kat could get up, she looked at Yuki who was slowly clapping at Kat's expense. "My oh my, Kat. I do believe you got your answer, isn't that right, Wyna?"

Wyna, who was already eating Kat's bowl of Ramen replied, "HMPH HMPH. GUD JEB KA-AH! WAZZER!"

Kat chuckled to herself. "Fine, fine. I'll get you your burgers and cake, Wyna. Gotta say, I did not expect that from you."

Finishing the ramen, Wyna slammed down the bowl on the counter. "I'm a good actor! Best in the solar system! Next to sweeper bot! I love his impressions of everyone, especially Hawthorne!"

Kat raised an eye. "Right… Well, at least I got the ramen tech to use when I reject somebody now. Thanks, Wyna."

Wyna patted Kat's back. "Anytime buddy! Now, let's go finish our patrols! We've gotta drop by Mars and say hi to Ana!"

"Yes. Let's go, shall we? It's a ways away towards, Mars, you know?" Yuki said.

"You gals go get the ships ready. I'll finish up and close out my tab!" Yuki and Wyna went towards the hanger as Kat was getting ready to pay.

While waiting for the bill, Kat hung her head in shame and covered her face with her hands. "Now if only SOMEONE could ask me out…."

Finishing up at the ramen bar, Kat trudged towards the hanger with a thought cycling around her mind. " _Did Wyna just eat my ramen after seducing me…? DID I JUST TAKE WYNA OUT ON A DATE?_ "


	3. Hunter-chan

_**"Your missions: protect the City. Look better than Warlocks. But don't look like you're trying." - Pahanin Errata**_

"Thanks for the advice, Ikora!"

"Not at all, guardian. Even if I am not your vanguard, I am always here to lend a helping hand." Ikora bowed her head to the awoken hunter.

As she left her, Ikora began to wonder. " _Why ask what color would compliment her skin? You wouldn't even be able to see it with her armor on…_ "

The hunter giggled to herself as she began walking towards the hanger, making sure to take a more scenic route. She never hesitated to say hello to the other guardians or citizens that would stop and stare at her.

She never understood why they stopped and stared, but she never felt bothered by it. She always assumed it was because of how well polished and pretty her armor was. Cascaded in a pink and purple armor and cloak that complimented her hair, she was never seen without looking her best.

What was more, she was a sort of idol amongst guardians. The cute and sexy hunter of fireteam DOOM, she was often the talk of the tower whenever her commision of handmade plushies were announced. Many people would line literally around any available Eververse kiosk in order to place a commision. Sometimes they were limited to only five for the month, sometimes over one hundred. Regardless of how many there were, people would clammer to get one.

Even though she was very popular amongst her peers, there was always something that bothered her. No one would call her by her proper name. Yes. No one ever called her… "Hunter-chan!"

The hunter looked behind her and saw her 'friend'. "Kat! I've told you so many times my name isn't Hunter-chan! It's…"

Kat patted her friend's back before she could finish her sentence. "Lighten up, would ya? Besides, everyone and their mother calls you Hunter-chan."

The hunter looked up at Kat. "And WHOSE fault do you think that is?"

Kat whistled awkwardly as she began to stroll away from Hunter-chan. "Kat! W-wait up!"

As Hunter-chan caught up, Kat squatted down and picked her up from her legs. "W-what the…"

As Kat stood up, Hunter-chan was being carried by Kat piggyback style. "Hey! Put me down! Just because you're taller doesn't mean you can treat me like this!"

Kat grinned. "On the contrary, my good Hunter-chan. It is precisely because you're shorter than it is a crime not to give you a piggyback ride."

Hunter-chan began to pout and nudge Kat's head. "If you're going to carry me, at least carry me to our usual hangout."

Kat deadpanned and replied in a monotone voice, "If you expect me to carry all that Hunter weight up to that flat, you're more stupid than Wyna."

Hunter-chan got angry at this. She wrapped her legs around Kat's neck and squeezed. "Well excuuuuuuuuuuuse me for having thicker thighs than most hunters! Maybe you should shrink a foot or two before throwing that kind of shade, huh Kat?"

Kat grasped at her neck in a futile attempt to stop Hunter-chan from choking her. "ACH! CHAN PLES. I CA-ACH BREAF!"

Finally letting go of her grip, Hunter-chan stepped down and picked Kat back up. "Come on! I'm a bit hungry, so let's get some snacks!"

Kat got up and walked briskly with Hunter-chan towards their 'spot' in the tower. A small alcove above the hanger away from the crowd.

"So what have you been up to, Kat? Hanging out with your fireteam?"

Kat groaned. "Yeah. We went to Mars to do some patrols and got roped up in doing an Escalation Protocol with some bastards who kept spamming that thing over and over and OVER!"

Hunter-chan giggled at the thought of BlumenKranz jumping from place to place on Mars only to get tossed around by the hive. "Well, did you reap any rewards from it?"

Kat took out a small cluster of shaders that she transmatted from her inventory. She pressed them against her armor and as quickly as they disappeared, her black and crimson armor was replaced with a more carbon fiber and orange palette. "Ask me how many of these I got."

Hunter-chan pondered for a moment. "Umm… How ma-"

"TWELVE! FREAKIN' TWELVE!" Kat groaned in annoyance as the began to climb the metal grates. "Yuki and Wyna got a sniper and shotgun respectively. According to those bastards on Mars, they're rare and highly sought after. Couldn't imagine why."

Hunter-chan laughed nervously. "Hehehe… Yeah… I wonder what that might be…" She quickly switched out her Ikelos shotgun for a more common iron banner sniper.

"What about you, Hunter-chan? What have you been doing so far?"

Hunter-chan chimed up. "I was actually visiting Ikora on some advice I needed!"

Entering a small opening in the ventilation, Kat replied, "Oh? What did you need to talk to her about?"

"What color would best compliment my skin tone! She said a deep purple or a soft pink, same as my armor!"

Kat nodded in approval. "Yeah, she's not wrong th- wait. Why do you even need advice on that? YOU ALREADY WEAR NOTHING BUT PINK AND PURPLE!"

Hunter-chan giggled. "True, but you never know if I might mix it up with scarlet or something!"

Kat turned around to Hunter-chan. "Steal my colors and I'll torch that stack of cartoon porn you love so much."

Hunter-chan became teary eyed. "It's not cartoon porn! It's called anime!"

Kat chuckled to herself. "Call it what you want, it BURNS the same."

"You're a big meanie!"

"Don't care. Also, we're here."

The two stepped out from the ventilation shaft and into their hangout spot. Although it wasn't a big room, it offered a beautiful view of the forest outside the Tower walls. The sofa that was in the room was along one wall and a monitor on the other. A small shelf containing a myriad of small figurines like the ones from Hunter-chan's 'anime' were in one corner and her sewing supplies in the other.

"I'm home!" Hunter-chan cried out. Almost immediately, her armor was trasmatted off of her, leaving her wearing purple short shorts and a pink low cut top. She threw herself onto the sofa and took out a knife and began to twirl it with her dexterous fingers.

"Heh. Kind of sad that you think this as your ho-oh- whoa…" Kat simply stared at Hunter-chan with a stupid look.

Hunter-chan looked up and raised an eye. "Everything alright, Kat?"

Kat stammered and quickly looked at the floor in shame. "Nothing's wrong, dumbass." She trasmatted her own armor off, leaving her in a black t-shirt and black and red sweatpants. " _I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing her wear so little…_ " she thought to herself.

Kat sat criss crossed on the floor and turned on the monitor, linking it with her ghost. "Hey, Mickey. Mind bringing up the map? I gotta look at the milestones I've done this week."

The black shelled ghost appeared and zapped the monitor, bringing up a map of the solar system. "Danke."

Kat scrolled through the map, looking at every planet and satellite. "Finished the flashpoint on Nessus… Did the strike we were assigned… Huh….?"

Hunter-chan looked up, still twirling the knife in her hand. "Something the matter?"

Kat shook her head. "Nothing really. Just forgot to turn in my tokens to Shaxx."

At this, Hunter-chan starred dead eyed towards the monitor. She stopped twirling the knife, sending it straight into Kat's shoulder. "OW! BITCH! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE THROWING THAT THI-"

Kat was silenced by Hunter-chan's screaming. "NOTGOODNOTGOODNOTGOOD!"

Kat got up and tried to calm down the flailing hunter. "Calm down, dude. It's not that ba-"

Hunter-chan shook her head fiercely. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR SHOULDER!"

"Well fuck me, I guess."

"No, but BESIDES THAT HIDE ME!" Hunter-chan took one of the pillows on the sofa and covered her head with it.

She was shaking violently and Kat didn't know what to make of it. "Look, if you really want to, I'll take a stupid commision, but I honestly don't thi-"

Hunter-chan grabbed Kat by her shoulder blades and looked into her eyes. "If you care about me as a friend, YOU'LL GO TO ORBIT WITH ME RIGHT NOW!"

Kat was flustered yet again from someone being so close to her. "W-what's your deal anyw-way? Why are you so scared?"

Hunter-chan opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off from the floor being exploded. The debris and dust covered most of the room, and from the explosion, they heard a familiar and fierce voice. "You don't fear Vanguard operations… Tell me…"

Hunter-chan clinged to Kat and screamed, who took the sudden contact with a bloody nose and screamed in response. As the dust settled, Shaxx's upper torso was visible from the floor. "Do you fear the crucible?"

The two girls kept screaming as Shaxx forced his body through the floor. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

After Shaxx dusted off his armor, and the girls stopped screaming, Shaxx raised his arms and hugged both Hunter-Chan and Kat with great force. "Oh how delightful it is to see you two! Tell me, how is it beyond the walls? I do hope you two are taking the fight to the enemy?"

Hunter-Chan was petrified while Kat tried to compose herself in front of the crucible handler. "O-of course, sir! J-just today my Fryer team went to Mars but we didn't see a tiddy- A THING!" Kat was still flustered as Hunter-Chan continuously gripped her harder and harder. "But don't worry, sir. We'll always be prepared in case they're bold enough to come a tit- ATTACK!"

Shaxx gave out a hearty laugh. "Quite right too, guardians! What I wouldn't give to be in your shoes! To fight the darkness. To take it on with my own fists!"

At this point, Kat finally regained some composure from hearing Shaxx ramble on about his glory days.

Snapping her fingers, Kat redirected her attention to her inventory. After some fumbling about, she finally took out a stack of red tokens and a stamp card. "I completely forgot to give you these, Shaxx. Hope you don't mind me giving them to you right now."

Shaxx shook his head. "Of course not, my dear azure Phoenix! I like you too much to ever say no to you!"

At this, Hunter-Chan broke out of her trance. "Azure Phoenix? What do you mean, Shaxx-sama?"

Shaxx grabbed the girls and jumped through the hole he made, causing more debris to be thrown about. "Damn it, Mickey! Can you fix the hole?"

Michael, letting out a groan, began to fix Kat's and Hunter-chan's hangout with some glimmer they shared for such occasions.

Shaxx, still holding onto the warlock and the hunter began to walk from the hanger towards the main plaza of the tower.

"This was before your time, Hunter-chan. This was before Osiris's return and Rasputin's awakening. Even before the Red Legion's invasion. This… was a time of glory…"

Kat let out a groan and rubbed her temples. "Shaxx, I appreciate the flattery, but I've heard you tell this story so many times! It was just a fluke!"

Shaxx let out his signature laugh and hoisted Kat up by her collar. "This was no fluke, guardian! You self rezzed while an entire team pointed their shotguns at your ghost and obliterated them with a fire so hot, it blazed an intense azure!" He swung Kat around reenacting the scene. "WITH THE RAGE OF A SUN SINGER, SHE MELTED THE COMPETITION WITH ABSOLUTE MALICE! NONE OF THEM SURVIVED HER FISTS! NONE OF THEM!"

By the time Shaxx finished his story, the three of them were already at the crucible quarters in the Tower plaza. He placed Kat down as she retrasmatted her armor on. "Again, it was only a fluke, Shaxx. I haven't been able to produce those blue flames since. Even after I got my light back, it hasn't been the same."

Shaxx shook his head. "Then why not give it another go in the crucible? The crowd always loves it when you fight!"

Kat chuckled to herself. "Thanks, but I think I'm good for the week."

Shaxx sighed. "Well, there's always next week."

Hunter-chan pondered what she just heard. Kat is good in the crucible? Sure, she's been in a few matches with her, but she's never given off the aura of someone who would be called malicious or- "HEY CAN I BE PUT DOWN NOW?"

With a final laugh, Shaxx laughed. "Why, Hunter-chan? You're not SCARED are you?"

"Yes! I ALWAYS SPAWN NEXT TO A GOLDEN GUN OR A NOVA WARP! I DON'T WANT THAT!"

Shaxx carried her from under his arm. "Unfortunately, Hunter-chan. You're due for some crucible."

Hunter-chan began to flail with tears in her eyes. "At least let me put on my armor!"

"You can do that when we get to the arena! Now, off we go!" Unleashing his Thundercrash, Shaxx blasted off from the crucible quarters and was transmatted to what Kat could only presume was the arena.

"Heh. She'll be fine." As Kat began to walk away, she heard the sound of a coin being flipped and noticed the shadow of someone standing around the corner.

She paid it no mind until a raspy voice called out to her. "Hey sister. Got a minute?"

Kat raised an eye and turned around to see the man walking towards her with a slight swagger in his steps, still flipping his emerald coin. "Do I know you?"

The man just chuckled and caught the coin between his fingers. "Nah, I doubt it. Just came into town a few weeks back. Decided to introduce myself to the local talent. You can call me the Drifter."

Kat suppressed a smile and simply replied, "So, what can I do ya for, ?"

The Drifter sat down on one of the crates and replied in a confident voice, "Well, I'm just looking for some guardians that have a knack for killing enemies, especially taken. Hearing that idiot brag about the so called 'azure phoenix' intrigued me. Think you're up for some gambit?"

He tossed the coin towards Kat, who caught it with dexterity, although she nearly fumbled it. She looked at it and saw a coiled snake engraved onto it. "Hmm… What do you have in mind?"

The drifter smiled and walked towards Kat, taking out a dark green envelope. "It's an invitation to a match I'm hosting in a week. Make sure you come solo."

Kat took the envelope and looked up at the Drifter. "And if I refuse?"

The Drifter smiled and walked away. "Then it's your loss, but if you DO come, I promise, I'll make you rich, sister."

Without waiting for a response, the Drifter headed towards the Bazaar and left Kat to her thoughts.

Pocketing the envelope and coin, Kat went back to the hangout to see how Michael was doing on repairs...


End file.
